Saturday, March 06, 2010

I'm not dead yet!

As Not Dead Yet points out, the coverage includes none of the very real voices of dissent. But what this bill proposes is performing lethal procedures on unconscious people with no form of consent whatsoever. Never mind lack of informed consent, this is no consent!

There is an appalling lack of any form of informed consent for organ donation as it is. People are not informed that "brain death" is a criterion that was created specifically in order to be able to harvest organs from living people.

I have blogged about this numerous times before, and it would behoove us to review the information:

On "brain death": Looks at philosophical concerns about the concept of "brain death".

Before their time: Excerpts from an article that people considering organ donation should read

Calling people "brain dead" so we can take their organs and give them to other people -- who, after all, need them to survive -- has worked really well for organ recipients. However, some people insist that "brain dead" isn't dead. After all, these "brain dead" people are warm and pink; they digest and metabolize food, excrete waste, undergo sexual maturation, and can even reproduce. They certainly don't look dead. They look asleep.

Well, yeah, because they're not dead.

Prospective donors need to know exactly how "dead" they will be when their organs are taken -- which is not dead. Some people will have a problem with this; others won't. But ought it not to be their choice whether or not they get cut open while they're still warm, pink, and showing all the signs of life except consciousness?

Prospective recipients need to know exactly how "dead" the donor will be when his or her organs are taken-- which is not dead. Some people will have no problem with this. Others -- myself included -- will, and will voluntarily abstain from getting on any waiting lists for organs. It remains to be seen how much this will reduce the wait for organs.

Here, for your edification, are some photos of a "brain dead" woman, taken from this PDF flier:

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